Ceremonial knife with sheath, anonymous, c. 1750 - c. 1800

Richly worked knives are some of the best-known collectors’ pieces from Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). The finest of these were produced by members of the Four Workshops, a guild to which only the leading craftsmen belonged; these craftsmen worked almost exclusively for the court. Such knives formed part of the costumes of the aristocracy and were virtually never used.